Harry Potter-Inpired Victoria Sponge Cake

One of our favorite cookbooks is The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook by Dinah Bucholz. We made at least one dish from this book every week and have been steadily making our way through all of the recipes! If you don’t have her book and love to cook and/or love Harry Potter, this is a great book for you!

In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry’s rotund cousin, Dudley, is on a strict diet of celery sticks and grapefruit for the summer. In desperation, Harry sends his snowy owl, Hedwig, to all his friends begging for food. Ron’s mom makes this cake, called a “Victoria Sponge Sandwich Cake” in the book.

For those of you who don’t know me, I LOVE berries. I’d foraged leafy greens in my early preschool days first, for sure, and wild field garlic too, but the wild berries are what kept me going year after year all through my college years and beyond.

Some forageable berries in Virginia include:

Wild Blackberries
Black Raspberries
Wineberries (Invasive)
Autumn Olives (Invasive) – Note: They are sour/sweet, not like olives at all
Serviceberries/Juneberries – Like blueberries but more flavorful though loses all flavor when frozen, unlike blueberries. A wonderful, native plant to grow for wildlife.

You can also make a great deal of jellies and jams using wildflowers, such as:

Redbud
Kudzu (invasive)
Dandelion (will be bitter if you leave any green on the flower)
Violets

We also grow a bunch of our own berries on our property so we can easily harvest daily through the spring and summer – 22 blueberry bushes, strawberries, a row of black raspberries, and thornless blackberry bushes.

I make jams and jellies and then preserve them in mason jars to be used for the rest of the year, freezing the extra berries for smoothies and toppings.

In summary, you can make any of these into jam or jelly use that in this recipe or a huge array of other desserts or even savory dishes. Finding wild berries and flowers is one of the best ways to save money by foraging – because we all know how expensive those store-bought or farmer’s market berries are! You also get the benefit of fresh air and exercise while harvesting plus the satisfaction that comes with making something with your hands on your own. Growing your own berries also gives you more bang for your buck than growing less expensive food.

Print Recipe

Harry Potter-Inspired Victoria Sponge Cake

Dense, rich cake named after Queen Victoria, who enjoyed a cake like this during tea time.

Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 sticks Butter room temp, 3/4 cups or 12 Tbsp
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
3 Eggs room temp
1/2 Cup Wild Black Raspberry, Wineberry, Blackberry, Serviceberry, or Autumn Olive Jam or any other type of jam you prefer
Confectioner's Sugar for dusting
Whipped Cream for serving, optional
Fresh Berries for a topping, optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grease and line two-inch, round cake pans.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl and set aside.
Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating after each is added. Add the flour mixture and beat at the lowest speed possible until smooth.
Pour the batter in the cake pans evenly then bake for between 18 and 22 minutes until the outer edges are golden brown and the center is still pale. Test with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, it's done.
Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Then place 1 cake on a tray, round metal pan, cardboard, or a plate. Spread the jam on the cake evenly to the perimeter. Then place the second cake on top.
Dust with confectioner's sugar. Serve with whipped cream and fresh berries to complete.